After our trip to Bognor Regis Town was postponed for the third time due to a waterlogged pitch down on the West Sussex coast, attention now turns to a home clash against Hashtag United on Saturday afternoon. The Blues' home form has been excellent in recent weeks, with 7 home wins on the bounce dating back to November. Hashtag, on the other hand, are out of sorts in recent weeks, with only one win in their last 8 league matches.
Our Opponents Hashtag United are the most recently formed side in the Isthmian Premier League, being founded in 2016 by YouTuber Spencer Owen, and officially joining the pyramid ahead of the 2018-19 season. The club has seen significant success on the pitch, being promoted 3 times in 4 completed seasons since joining the pyramid. In their first season in 2018-19, the Tags won Eastern Counties League Division One South (10th tier) before moving into the Essex Senior League where after two COVID-affected seasons, one being abandoned, the second (2020-21) saw Hashtag promoted on a points-per-game basis. After missing out on a playoff place in 2021/22, Hashtag were promoted from Isthmian North Division as champions, including a streak of winning 21 games in a row, in 2022/23, bringing them to the Isthmian Premier League (7th tier) this season.
Some famous faces in the Hashtag United side include former Premier League utility man Greg Halford, as well as Love Island "All Star" Toby Aromolaran who is currently in the villa in South Africa. The club has a huge online following with over 600k subscribers on YouTube, meaning they have more than Crystal Palace and Celtic put together!
Did you know?
Former Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is rumoured to be involved behind the scenes at Hashtag United.
Head to Head
Our trip to Essex earlier in the season was our first match against Hashtag United since their formation. The Blues went down 2-0 to the Tags, with an Alfie Cue brace being enough to secure all 3 points for 10-man Hashtag United. We look forward to welcoming Hashtag United and their supporters to the Maurice Rebak Stadium for the first time!
Last time Out
The Tags come into this game in patchy form but managed to snatch a draw against playoff-chasing Carshalton Athletic on Saturday; Misha Djemaili with a second half brace to secure a point. Prior to this, the Tags beat National League South side Aveley 1-0 through a 90th minute winner in the Essex County Cup Quarter Final to set up a semi-final clash at League Two side Colchester United on Tuesday night.
The Blues also snatched a draw at Horsham on Saturday, thanks to Alkeo Bani's excellent long range strike - check it out below!
Players To Watch
Misha Djemaili, scorer of a brace last weekend, is the Tags top scorer with 10 goals in all competitions and will be one for the Blues defence to keep an eye on. Meanwhile attacking midfielder Sak Hassan, who signed for the club in the summer from AFC Sudbury became the first ever Hashtag United player to receive an international call-up, playing for Somalia in late 2023.
A player who Blues fans will know all too well is midfield maestro Sam Cornish, named player of the season for Wingate & Finchley in 2022/23, Sam moved to Hashtag United ahead of the 2023/24 season and Saturday will be his first time returning to the Maurice Rebak Stadium since his departure.
For the Blues, Alkeo Bani scored his first goal of the season on Saturday and will be looking to add to this tally if he wants to better last season's haul of 3 goals, hear more from Alkeo in his post-match interview below. Adult tickets can be bought in advance here, and all tickets can be purchased on the gate on matchday using either cash or card. Adults £12, Concessions (on the gate with valid ID) £8 and Under 18s go FREE!
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison